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The Mitsubishi Galant is an automobile that was manufactured by Mitsubishi between 1969 and 2012. The name was derived from the French word ''galant'', meaning "chivalrous".〔(Fact & Figures 2005 ), p.33, Mitsubishi Motors website〕 There have been nine distinct generations, and cumulative sales now exceed five million.〔(History and profile of the Mitsubishi Galant ), Mitsubishi Motors South Africa website〕 It began as a compact sedan, but over the course of its life has evolved into a larger mid-size car. Initial production was only based in Japan, but since 1994 the American market has been served by vehicles assembled at the former Diamond-Star Motors (DSM) facility in Normal, Illinois. ==First generation (A50 series)== The first generation of the car, initially known as the Colt Galant, was released in December 1969 at a new Mitsubishi Japanese dealership called ''Galant Shop''. The design was dubbed "Dynawedge" by Mitsubishi, referring to the influence of aerodynamics on the silhouette.〔 Three models were available, powered by the new 'Saturn' engine in 1.3 (''AI'' model) or 1.5 L (''AII'' and ''AIII'') configurations. 1.4 and 1.6 litre versions (14L and 16L) replaced these in September 1971. A larger 1.7 arrived for the top GS model in January 1973. Initially only available as a four-door sedan, a five-door estate and two-door hardtop (A53) variant were added in 1970, the hardtop being Mitsubishi's first production passenger car with full side windows and no side pillars. In March 1973, with only two months of production left, the cleaner "MCA-II" version of the 1.6 arrived. With it was three horsepower down on the regular version.〔 The Galant was offered as a competitor to the Toyota Corona, Nissan Bluebird and Mazda Capella. It became Mitsubishi's first car to be sold in the United States in 1971 when the Chrysler Corporation, the company's new partner and stakeholder, began importing the car as the Dodge Colt. It was also produced by Chrysler Australia and sold alongside the larger Chrysler Valiant models as the Chrysler Valiant Galant.〔Gavin Farmer, Great Ideas in Motion, A History of Chrysler in Australia 1946–1981, pages 289–299〕 From 1970, a fastback coupé model was developed, the Galant GTO. Fashioned after contemporary American muscle cars, the hardtop GTO was available with a choice of two "Saturn" engines and the 2-litre ''Astron 80'', and was available until 1975. The nameplate was sufficiently highly regarded in Japan for it to be resurrected for the 1990 Mitsubishi GTO coupé. A second, more compact coupé was introduced on a chassis shortened by 12 cm in 1971, the Galant FTO. Powered by the 4G41 1.4 L engine, it too would leave a legacy for the company to return to in the 1990s with the Mitsubishi FTO. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mitsubishi Galant」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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